


If Winter Comes, can Spring be far behind?

by Basileus



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: AU, Allusions made to all sorts of morally ambiguous or evil things, Allusions to Suicide, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dubious Consent, F/M, M/M, serious fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-25
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-16 23:03:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1365016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basileus/pseuds/Basileus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Duskendale had been his finest hour, yet the memory tasted bitter on his tongue.'</p><p>Or a world where Ser Barristan fails at Duskendale and Tywin Lannister underestimates a woman to his peril. </p><p>Rhaegar Targaryen, First of his Name, ascends to the Iron Throne at the young age of seventeen-and a different Westros follows.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Game of Thrones

**Author's Note:**

> O.K, long rant explaining rationale behind this story. You may ignore if you simply want to get to the meat of the matter.
> 
> When I look at Westros in the closing years of the Third Century (AL), I only observe a state of advanced decay. Individual regions might be flourishing, but the concept of an United Realm is essentially dead. The state machinery is basically ruined, only a bunch of lords jockeying for power in a fashion never seen before. Most people still have not given up on the concept of the Seven Kingdoms, but it is essentially dead-especially on account of the short sight exhibited by those in power to remedy it.
> 
> This can be directly related to two events: the collapse of the Targaryen dynasty, and sheer incompetence of its last King, Aerys. A collapse of a long-lived (and the Targaryens were certainly long lived for a dynasty of absolute monarchs-by our standards) dynasty at times when regional/feudal identities define loyalties and an accompanying deficit of people with vision can be disastrous for the whole state. There is also the question of what defines Westrosi? Who are the barbarians we need to be different from? The Wildlings are far off the wall, and for many Southrons they are not that different from Northmen (religion being a big factor) and the Essosi have no desire to conquer Westros. Without a need to define a distinct Westrosi identity in the face of external troubles, the division was inevitable.
> 
> It was simply delayed by the sheer static nature of Westrosi society, caught in what seems to be a Medieval age for ~3000 years at least, and keeping same old royals (Stark, Durrendon-Baratheon, Lannister) etc for ~8000 years. Therefore, even though the Dance deprived Targaryens of their one key weapon, the Westrosi were content to keep the system going. Trade at least had flourished, and non-militarized Lords did not mind the peace. The extraordinary incompetence of Aerys led to an uprising, but then who? Incest had greatly limited the number of possible successors who could be seen as far off from Aerys but close enough to the main-line. Fortunately, they did have such a stop-gap candidate but the alliances built then lasted only one more generation. And then it all broke down completely.
> 
> Could this have been averted? Barristan Selmy, the man who lived through the whole age of decay seems to think so, and I agree. With the right circumstances, Selmy’s failure could have easily been the Nation’s gain-if only to buy a little more time that might lead to a change in circumstances.
> 
> There have been several instances in the fic where I do allow very-very favorable circumstances to happen. These were in some sense inevitable-else my plans of giving a chance for an united realm to form will not happen.
> 
> This fic will not have huge battles being fought; the true game will be played in the Shadows and Chambers. I will also attempt a proper pairing in this fic, something which I have not done so far (no its not Rhaegar/Lyanna-sorry, I have not yet added the tag). Lets see how it works out. Feel free to guess the pairing in the comments :P
> 
> Final words: 'A function reaches its minima when it simply cannot decrease any further (dy/dx=0) and can only go up (d2y/dx^2>0)'-Author.  
> 'If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?'-Percy Shelley, Ode to the West Wind.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Stags hears about the woes of the Dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing.
> 
> For those who are curious: Defiance of Duskendale: http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Defiance_of_Duskendale 
> 
> Steffon Baratheon's mother was Rhaelle Targaryen, Rhaella's aunt. Robert never shows it, but Steffon was quite close with his cousins, going to Essos to find a bride for Rhaegar (and drowning in the return voyage).
> 
> Westros is generally deurbanized, I think there are only 5 Cities (White Harbor, Oldtown, Lannisport, Gulltown and Kings Landing), and thats why many people think of Kings Landing as just 'The City'. A real life example is how Constantinopolis/Constantinople morphed in to εις την Πόλιν(istimpolin) in Greek ('to the City/Polis'), which has resulted in the name Istanbul today. Steffon thinks the same way about KL.
> 
> Quick age summary: http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Years_after_Aegon%27s_Landing gives the years.  
> In short:  
> Rhaegar-17  
> Viserys-1  
> Brandon-15  
> Robert&Ned-13  
> Lyanna-9  
> Stannis-11  
> Renly- -2  
> Willas- 1  
> Jaime&Cersei-10 (Also Lysa)  
> Elia- 19  
> Catelyn-11

_276AL_

Lord Steffon Baratheon pulled the reins and commanded his horse to move even faster, barking orders at his men to get their act together. _We are almost there, but we must not slow down now_ , he thought, marching through the night _._ He had considered calling his banners and moving on to Duskendale as soon as he had heard that Aerys was held captive. But Rhaella had asked him to stay put. _The number of men needed to overwhelm Duskendale is not much, and yet we can do nothing while Darklyn holds the King hostage. It would gladden me if you were out there, but Tywin would see it as a vote of no-confidence against him and therefore I implore you to stay put for now, as it makes no difference,_ she had written.

But the circumstances had changed. He had received a letter a few days ago from Rhaella, that stated that Tywin was making some plans with regards to Duskendale, and Ser Gerold was to take all the Kingsguard over. She had resisted and managed to keep Ser Arthur and Ser Lewyn, both of whom had shown an extreme reluctance to cooperate with Tywin. Nonetheless, it was a clear sign that things were worsening and he had to move in to help his cousin maintain her authority. _She asked her uncle to come as well, but Lord Alyn is near seventy._ Still, Alyn Velaryon would have probably made it to King’s Landing before him, and the presense of that old man could make all the difference if things worsened. Nonetheless, he had to be present-as both the King’s cousin as well as Lord Paramount to keep Tywin in check.

He looked ahead and froze. A horseman was riding down as fast as he could, silver hair shining in the moonlight. _Rhaegar? No, Rhaegar will not leave the City. Lord Alyn’s son?_ But he saw the white cloak of the Kingsguard as the man drew closer, _Dayne then, but why is he here._ Fear welled within him as he spurred his horse onwards, _why is he not with Rhaella and Viserys?_

Arthur Dayne stopped when he noticed the host before him. Their eyes met, and he knew that Dayne had recognized him. He beckoned Dayne to come closer and the knight moved forward.

‘The king is dead.’ whispered Ser Arthur Dayne.

_There is no time to grieve now. We need to move to the City right now._

* * *

They reached the City at dawn, and Tywin’s host was nowhere in sight. _Thank the Seven._ He was glad that Ser Gerold had moved out as soon as was apparent that the King was dead, against the direct wishes to Lord Tywin, and made it back to the City to alert the Queen. Ser Arthur had immediately been sent out to find him, and the man confessed that he had not expected the Baratheon host to be so close. Lord Alyn was already there, with a sizable number of men, should it prove necessary.

_What was Tywin thinking? Sending Selmy in to try to rescue the King? It had almost worked except Darklyn’s sellswords had caught them while they were exiting the town, and both got killed in the skirmish._

_Yet it seems a bit too good to be true. I am not entirely sure if our Lord Lion is blameless, and he does stand most to gain._ He was aware of the tension between Tywin Lannister and his cousin, and he was also aware that Tywin nurtured dreams of making his daughter a Queen. ‘Over my dead body,’ Mariah Martell had declared, after mentioning Tywin’s grand plan to him. _The death of a King who could have stopped him from gaining more power, ensures that the succession passes to a seventeen year old boy, who can hardly afford to antagonize his Lord Hand, no matter how popular he is and how badly the Hand has failed. I can certainly see it working in his favor, telling Rhaegar that he needs an heir other than his brother, a babe of one who can fall victim to many things like accidents or childhood maladies. Who better than the daughter of the Hand, especially since he has no sisters?_

 _Except Rhaella will not let that happen, but he would hardly know that, will he?_ , he thought as he rode up to the Red Keep. Rhaella had kept a low profile since Summerhall, and only the family knew there was a bit more to the Queen than a scared, silly woman. _Good for deceiving Tywin, bad for situations when she needs to show that she is in control. Nonetheless, I am here, to obey as my Queen commands._

He was led to the library, and he saw Ser Lewyn guarding the door, nodding in acknowledgement. _Another ally in this city of worms._ He stepped inside to see Ser Gerold was already inside, as was Lord Alyn and his son Moneterys. Rhaella was inside, as was the new King.

‘I am sorry for suddenly dragging you out, but these turned out to be extraordinary circumstances,’ spoke the Queen Dowager.

He returned a weak smile, ‘Cassana is sorry that she cannot be here.’

‘And so am I indeed, but this is an emergency. We need to act against Tywin right now.’

 _Direct and to the point._ ‘I am surprised he is not here already.’

‘Busy destroying Duskendale, as if that changes anything,’ spoke Ser Gerold. ‘Wanted me to help but I told him that my job was defense of the King, not being the Hand’s lapdog. I am certain he did not know you and Lord Velaryon will be coming, else he would have rushed.’

‘Am I the only one who suspects foul play?’

‘I think we all do,’ spoke Lord Velaryon, ‘but we cannot prove anything.’

‘Regardless, he cannot continue as Hand,’ asserted Rhaella, ‘which is why I am glad that you are here, cousin.’

 _Oh._ ‘He will not take it too well.’

‘Which is why I need to know, what do you think are our odds of winning against him are?;’

‘He commands an army made up of people from the Crownlands, not his Westermen. They would carve him up should Lord Alyn command them to, to say nothing of you or Rhaegar.’

‘I wish it were so, but the _Rains_ are rather infamous, especially in light of Aerys’ weakness.’

‘Tywin has failed. His job was to rescue the King, and he has failed, end of the story. Ser Barristan has paid with his life, and Lord Tywin should consider himself grateful that he is only losing his job.’

‘I don’t want war though, can that be averted?’

‘Storm’s End stands with you, till the end. I think he will find us mightier than Reyne’s and Tarbeck’s should it come down to it.’

‘As for the rest,’ continued Lord Steffon,’Princess Mariah will probably empty Dorne of fighting men if she could get revenge on Tywin for that slight two years ago.’

‘It was very unwise of Lord Lion to offer the Imp for Princess Elia,’ smirked Lord Velaryon. ‘No matter whatever ambitions he had for his daughter, wedding Jaime would have cost him nothing. It would have been hard to find a suitable bride of better breeding in any case.’

‘The Reach will stand with you,’ declared Ser Gerold. ‘Lord Luthor Tyrell hates Tywin, his grandmother was a Reyne. Besides, his children are already wed, his heir to my niece. There is nothing that Tywin can offer him to change his mind. And House Hightower is with you, now and forever.’

‘I am surprised that a honorable man like you is here plotting with us, Ser Gerold’, observed Lord Alyn.

‘I have already made myself an enemy of Tywin by defying him, so I intend to see this through. Besides, there is nothing honorable outside the man to begin with.’

‘Expedient means, eh?’ smirked Velaryon. ‘As for the Vale, Jon Arryn will stand with us. He is as honorable as his father, and is not known to be too fond of Tywin’s machinations. If Tywin does not accept the verdict regarding his failure, the Vale will aid us through this. What worries me is House Tully, Hoster has two girls who can be betrothed. I hear negotiations are on with the North regarding a match between Brandon Stark and the elder, but Tywin can betroth Jaime to the younger, creating a sticky situation, especially as Genna Lannister is wed to a Frey.’

‘We already have half the Riverlands standing with us, I do not fear that Fish,’ declared Rhaella. ‘Lord Darry will hang him from his own walls if that man dares cause trouble.’

‘Unless Winterfell sends aid. Rickard Stark has southron ambitions, and while I would hesitate to call him dishonorable, the man is not cut from the same cloth as Jon Arryn,’ spoke Steffon Baratheon, recalling his communications with Winterfell.

A gloom of silence descended upon the room, bringing down the largest, fiercest and most monolithic army against them was not something anyone wanted. _There has to be a way to placate Rickard Stark._ And the answer flashed in his head, _damnition, there goes all my plans for Robert. All for the realm._

‘Your Grace,’ he said, directly addressing Rhaegar who looked uncomfortable at the salutation, ‘have you considered a prospective marital alliance? The realm does require a heir other than your younger brother, and we both know that we don’t want Robert anywhere near that thing.’ _There might have been worse Kings than what Robert could become, but none of them founded a dynasty. The Targaryens were made by great men, and a shaky start to a potential Baratheon rule will finish the Seven Kingdoms._

‘I confess that I have not put much thought into it,’ admitted Rhaegar,’do you have any suggestions?’

‘Your father wanted to send Lord Steffon to Essos for finding one, but considering the current political climate, a Westrosi bride will be for the best. I did not give you a sister in time, and neither Lord Baratheon nor Lord Velaryon has a daughter of the right age. So we might as well give up on preserving dragonblood. However, it needs to be from a proper, royal House, no upstarts like Tullys or Greyjoys’ spoke the Queen. _Or Tyrell._

‘That leaves us with two options-Elia Martell and Lyanna Stark, as none of us here want to grant Tywin his wish,’ spoke Steffon.

He leaned closer and whispered to Rhaella, ‘ _Can Lewyn hear us?’_

‘The doors are too thick. No one can hear a word from outside, which is why I chose this room.’

‘While Elia comes from the line of Daenerys Targaryen, I would strongly advise against her. We will have Dorne to play against Tywin without this alliance as well. While she is of marriageable age right now, and can perhaps secure the succession-I fear she is too sickly to actually survive the process.’

‘That leaves us with nine year old Lyanna Stark, who can be wedded and bedded in five—‘

‘At least seven!’, Rhaella spoke harshly, interrupting her uncle, Lord Alyn.

‘A bit too far to the future, but can seal a good alliance for us. With the North aiding us, Tywin will have nowhere to go. Lord Rickard will hardly refuse the ultimate Southron alliance either.’

‘How do we know she is available?’, asked Rhaegar.

‘Because I was trying to negotiate a match with Robert. I can tell Lord Stark that as Hand, I decided the realm needs his daughter more than my family or such, and flatter him to agreeing.’

‘I am sorry Steffon,’ Rhaella said, regret sincere in her voice.

‘Eh, we are family anyways. Leave a daughter for my family sometime, Rhaegar,’ he said, winking at the King, who blushed and looked away.

‘Besides, I do have a plan. I heard Tywin’s daughter is in the Capital?’

Rhaella’s eyes widened. ‘That is certainly a great sacrifice you are offering to make.’

‘Not that big a one, options for Robert were limited to begin with. We fire Tywin, deny him his wish, hold his daughter captive here and then wed her to Robert when the time is right. Tywin will be told that should any unexplained accident happen to any of us, his daughter will be short of her head. He already has a bad reputation thanks to the Rains, and if we even make an accusation of treachery, he will have little to fight back with, especially after his spectacular failure in Duskendale. Too few allies for our lord Lion. Westerlands never had many men to begin with, and he will have difficulties buying sellswords, as we on the Eastern Seaboard have all the right contacts in the Free Cities.’

‘I concur,’ added Lord Velaryon. ‘No company will help him except the Golden Company. I do not fear them, we have defeated them too many times. Besides, there are far too many exiled Lords in the Golden Company for some of the current ones to feel comfortable. I propose we offer Tywin a deal, tell him to resign taking moral responsibility, which we accept and then betroth his daughter to the King’s cousin for his service. The said daughter stays as a handmaiden for the Queen, like right now. If he refuses, we fire him, and make him short one head. Then we take care of his brother should they not get the message.’

‘That certainly seems to be a wise course of action,’ spoke Rhaegar.’I only hope Tywin has no secret cards to play.’

‘He is not stupid, he will know he has lost when he the sees the Capital filled with loyalists. His only mistake was thinking that we would be sitting in our homes and not already moving in. That move of yours saved us, Rhaella. He might as well concede defeat and move on, else I will explain the consequences to him. I am not a Reyne to be cowed by him.’

‘Nevertheless,’ Velaryon added, ‘Lord Steffon and I will be the ones to meet him. Both you and Rhaella must stay removed. Plausible deniability, claim we pressured you as we are family etc. He cannot rule without a dragon, and Viserys is too young to be viable. One disease and Tywin is done for. Therefore he must keep you alive, and that is your greatest asset. Use it well.’

‘I do not see this going badly though, Tywin is the one in hostile territory here.’ spoke Steffon. ‘Nonetheless, I wholeheartedly agree with what Lord Alyn said.’

There was a loud knock on the door, as Lewyn yelled, ‘Tywin and men sighted.’

 _And so it begins,_ Steffon thought locking eyes with the violet orbs of the seventy year old Sea Snake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins.
> 
> Comments and kudos will be greatly appreciated.


	2. The Queen from the North

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ordeal of being Lyanna Stark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing.
> 
> We jump five years forward. And the we jump a bit more.  
> Lyanna was hard, and pairing was even harder-I am not sure this is anywhere close to my usual standards.

281 AL

Lyanna tried to pretend that she was not being awed by all the things they were seeing as they moved south. It was after all the first time she had come South of the Neck, but she could not admit that she was affected by the vastly different landscape, _Septa Catelyn will hold that against me too._

She wondered who had thought it would be a clever idea to come to Riverunn on the way to Kings Landing, and meet up with the Lannisters. The thought of travelling with so many southrons for the rest of the journey was frightening. _At least Old Lord Frey did not send some of his men along, although I do not think the King cares whether or not they come._ She smirked when she remembered the look on Lord Frey’s face, as he tried to convince their father that Ned or Ben could perhaps marry one of his daughters. Her father had kept a passive face as he promised to give the matter ‘his most sincere consideration’ but Lya knew there was no way she was getting a Frey as a goodsister. _Thank the Old Gods for that._

Nonetheless, travelling with the delegation from the Riverlands and Westerlands was a frightening prospect, especially as she had so few people to talk to, besides Ben and Bran. She wished that Ned was here, he had been fostered in the Vale and could help her get used to it all. But Ned was already in Kings Landing, with Lord Arryn and the groom. Travelling by ship from Gulltown was faster after all, and she wondered why they simply did not sail from White Harbor too. _Probably because father wanted Bran to meet his Septa,_ she thought, smirking, _but if all southron women are like this, I will cut my hair and run away to Dorne._ Ser Jonothor had assured her that it was not really the case, that there were many strong and independent ladies amongst the Queen’s handmaidens but she was not sure whether to trust him or not. _He is probably just trying to not let me down, the silly wild girl he had been sent to defend._ Still, Ser Jonothor had introduced her to his family, which turned out to be the most courteous of the southrons. His youngest brother, Raymun seemed extremely awed by her, and nearly worshipped the ground she walked across. Nonetheless, Raymun Darry was the closest thing she had to a friend amongst the Southrons, who apparently could not believe that she was going to be their future Queen.

 _I didn’t ask for it!_ , she wanted to scream. _Even now I wish I could just run away from this all!_ But she couldn’t, not with Ser Jonothor around her, and his brother staying around her and Ben. She had basically resigned herself to her fate by now, to be reduced to the perfect Southron wife, popping babies and not amounting to anything in life. _Although it could have been worse, I could have been the one to wed Robert instead of Cersei,_ she shuddered. Even though the King was four years older than his cousin, there had been no talk of bastards at all. No, Rhaegar Targaryen was the perfect man, a competent King who kept talented advisors and had strengthened the realm; well educated, wise and talented in playing the harp; said to be a good swordsman, but never took part in tourneys after being crowned; a man who by all accounts deserved a beautiful, prim-and-proper wife, who would secure the succession, not a horsefaced barbarian from the North. _Someone like Catelyn Tully or Cersei Lannister._ The fathers of the two women certainly felt so, and had made little attempt to hide their indignation around her.

She did know why she had been chosen after all, her father had made it very clear to her in order prevent her from getting any wrong ideas. _He has no sisters or cousins, and Lord Tywin failed to save his father. The Crown felt that an alliance with the North mattered far more than one with the Riverlands. Be mindful of that, and realize any impropriety on your part will shame all of us Northmen._ And her father was right, the judgmental looks thrown by both Lord Tywin and Lord Hoster had made it clear what they thought of her, to say nothing of the snobbish tones of the Tully sisters. Her father had barely contained his rage, although it was not directed at her this time.

 _Do not forget that you are a Stark of Winterfell, a descendant of Brandon the Builder. We have been Kings for eight thousand years and have beaten down every one of these southron Andals. We did not need to deceive our way to power like the line of Lann the Clever nor did we need an Aegon Targaryen to give us freedom like those fish. Keep that in mind and ignore them, for the King and his council felt that their daughters were not half as worthy as you,_ her father had told her the night before, the first time he had said anything positive in years. She had silently listened, fuming within, _what difference does it make when that still means I just have to be a womb? Who cares what these Andals think, when Visenya Targaryen and Queen Nymeria defeated their menfolk down?_ But she knew her father would not listen, as proud as he was of their blood, he did have different ideas regarding role of women. _In her defeat, Rhaenyra Targaryen took all of us down._

Nonetheless, her father had told her that she could ride with the men instead of going in the wheelhouse with the Tully sisters. _So that Ser Jonothor can keep an eye on you,_ he had said, matching smirks on each other’s faces. Father and daughter might have had differences in opinion in the far North, but they would present a united front to the Southrons.

It was not going to be too bad, as Ben and Bran would be with her, along with Ser Jonothor’s brothers. Jaime Lannister too was much better company than his father, as he at the very least did not seem to hold horse-riding against her. _Cersei was much the same,_ he had said, a wistful smile on his face, _though I have not seen her in five years._

 _And I will not see my family for the next two years,_ she thought wistfully. After Cersei and Robert were wed, she would remain in Kings Landing as a handmaiden to Queen Rhaella, learning the ropes while awaiting her own marriage in two years. She was glad that she did not have to wed before turning sixteen, and felt a stab of gratitude towards her future goodmother. _Maybe the blood of Visenya Targaryen is not gone after all._

* * *

 

_283 AL._

Today was her wedding day, and she was surprised to realize how calm she was. _Kings Landing changes us all, but at least I had a good teacher._ The Queen had been her greatest mentor in this City of Vipers. She was still in awe of her ability to play this game, even after watching her for two years. _One would mistake her for a Septa, all clothed in white and busy looking after Viserys, while playing the Game of Thrones like a master._ Rhaella Targaryen had been very good to her, teaching her that there were more ways of getting around social obstacles than directly bulldozing through. She was certain that she could now drive Catelyn insane even without having to resorting to violence. _Maybe I should test that on Cersei and not my goodsister, just so that Bran has domestic peace. Although Catelyn will be easier to tackle, one year married and I am still not an aunt, while Cersei did pop a baby within a year of her marriage._

The thought of becoming a mother was much less frightening than it used to be, mainly because of Rhaegar. She had been frightened when the King had walked into the place where she was sparring with Ned, but he had not reacted as they had feared he would. Ned had stammered and tried to pretend that it was his fault, but Rhaegar had simply silenced him by asking her if she would oblige to spar with him. They had sparred every evening since then, Ser Arthur or Ned or the Queen watching. Ashara and the Queen had even tried to join in once, but they ultimately had to be paired against each other as neither had enough practice to go up against her or Rhaegar. She grinned when she thought of it, the Targaryens were much different than what she had feared. _Rhaegar let Ned stay throughout as well._ She thought it was simply a concession at first, letting her have a brother close, but apparently Rhaegar had plans with Ned. _He is a part of their little group now, Arthur, Jon Connington, Monterys Velaryon and Rhaegar._ She and Ashara nagged their brothers about it, but they both knew that Westros was not yet ready to have women in the Small Council, which was what Rhaegar was shaping that group into. Rhaegar at least kept her informed about what was going on, and she was sure Ned was telling Ashara everything, they were marrying soon after all. She knew that was important, having a closely knit ruling structure to maintain control. Lord Steffon and Queen Rhaella already did that, and the new era would need a similar power structure, built on trust that ran deeper than words.

She knew her role in it, and it did not frighten her too much. _I need to secure the succession, but I am not expected to be a bed-slave._ She was still free to do what she wanted, as long as she did that part of her duty. She suspected she would have still resented it, but the fact it was Rhaegar made her soften quite a bit. _I don’t have to pretend to be someone else around him at least, no matter how much I have to act before the world._ Little Viserys had softened her quite a bit as well, _I think I will enjoy sparring with you in the years to come, goodbrother. That is assuming your brother does not waste more effort into trying to make a better musician out of me._

Her father came in and told her that it was almost time to leave for Baelor. _My last moments as Lyanna Stark,_ she thought wistfully _. But so be it._

* * *

 

The wedding was not the way she had imagined it would be, in a Sept and not before a Heart-tree. _We need to show our piety,_ thought she, looking at her smug goodsister, _don’t think you have won, Septa_. There was a great feast, with all the Lords coming to offer them gifts. Tywin looked quite a bit shocked to see her now, and she took extra care to be extra polite with him, ensuring his early departure. Then again, it might have simply been the presence of Ser Jaime Lannister. Her husband had caused a major coup by getting him to join the Kingsguard the day after Cersei’s wedding, an act that deprived Tywin of his heir. Tywin had been furious, but had ultimately been unable to do much, after Olenna Tyrell made a public barb about ‘whether this Lannister can keep this King safe’. Tywin had stormily returned to the Rock and had not ventured out till then, until the royal wedding itself. _He even missed Joffrey Baratheon’s birth._

Both Cersei and Robert were staring at them the full time, and she was suddenly glad to have conjured the excuse of a twisted ankle to avoid dancing, and that Rhaegar had graciously agreed to keep her company. Brandon was dancing with Ashara, and Catelyn stared angrily at them. She briefly wondered if she should ask Ned to bail Catelyn out, but Ned was already busy dancing with Elia, Ashara’s goodsister. Lord Dayne had pleaded out of the event, on account of the handicap he had sustained from his childhood malady, but he was smiling at the whole scene. The Queen sat serenely at the table, ultimately agreeing to one dance each with Lord Steffon, Lord Arryn and her father. Olenna Tyrell and Cassana Baratheon acted much more freely, an act she suspected was greatly scandalizing her goodsister.

The bedding had been an interesting experience to say the least, if only because of Robert. Arthur has probably broken a few of his fingers, but Robert deserved it. Lord Steffon looked horrifyingly embarrassed by the actions of his son, and she was sure that the Lord Hand would be apologizing to her the next day, asking her to forgive his drunken offspring.

But it was now just her and Rhaegar, after an eventful day, to say the least. She did not like the way Cersei had been eyeing her husband but now she was sure that she was no better.

‘We can delay this if you want,’Rhaegar tried to say weakly.

‘Shut up, we could have done this a year ago if you were not such a great prude.’

Afterwards, she decided that being wedded to Rhaegar Targaryen was not a bad thing in any way. _Pity our official duties start tomorrow and we simply can’t just run off to Dragonstone._

* * *

 

284AL

The birth had ultimately been a painful process, but it was over and she was suddenly a mother. _Thank the gods that it was a son, that way the succession was secured._ She and Rhaella had come to a deal over the name, the official one would be Jaehaerys, after Rhaella’s father while the family would shorten it to Jon, after the Kings of Winter. Her son had features of his parents, grey eyes and silver hair, and she suspected he would be turning quite a few female heads in the years to come.

She knew she had to rely on Rhaella much more in the years to come, as she needed to educate her son properly. _They will soon be clamoring for a spare too. I hope they will give me at least two more years._

 _I wonder if Ashara had her babe yet._ Ned and Ashara had decided to spend some time in the North before coming back here, and Ben had taken the black. Brandon was still yet to have a kid, something that was beginning to distress their father, who had dragged Ned back soon after their wedding. _The Lannister woman also probably had her kid, funny how she always gets pregnant when she deigns to visit me._ She did hope that it had nothing to do with Cersei’s unhealthy fixture with Rhaegar or Robert’s fixture over her.

She entered the nursery and walked to the crib to feed Jon. She looked down at her son, sleeping, clutching his first toy. Then she heard the crack and looked closely.

And then she screamed.

Rhaella Targaryen was the first to run into the room, followed by Rhaegar and Ser Arthur. The Dowager Queen took one look at the crib and her face paled.

‘Do not let anyone in here, Ser Arthur’, she thundered. ‘We need to leave for Dragonstone tonight. Tell everyone that the Queen has fallen ill after the birth and the island was a better place for recovery.’

‘Keep quiet about this Rhaegar, no one is to know other than Steffon. I think the two of you will have to do without me for the next few years, ‘ concluded the Queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments/kudos welcome.
> 
> So what do you guys think?


	3. The Dragon Queens and their companions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Women of Westros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first toy given to a Targaryen babe is a dragon egg. Normally adults kept watch (you know, kid and scaly carnivores go well together), but everyone thinks all of these are fossilized. Till, well the event itself.

Alright, you will have to bear with me here. I re-read the last chapter and realized it looked totally cray. Part of the problem is that I did Lyanna more realistically than I thought, as a young girl (trippy as L_Cloudy accurately described it).

We need to understand the way one main character, Rhaella Targaryen is working. However, she is not going to break into long reflections on her psyche here; unlike in the Weirwood and Volcano (my other fic), she is not preparing for death. Rhaella here acts in a particular way, and she is not very reflective on all her past. But we do need to get inside Rhaella’s head, which is impossible under the POV model.

Thus I will go third person here to talk about five women so far, where they stand etc.

 **Rhaella Targaryen** (240AL-): Firstborn child and only daughter of Jaehaerys II Targaryen, second son of Aegon V. Raised as heir to Aegon V for long, on account of her uncle Duncan’s reluctance to marry, and her father’s ill health. Her younger brother Aerys was not considered by their grandfather, as he believed that post the Blackfyre defeat (Ninepenny Kings &Maelys the Monstrous), it was possible to replace the agnatic succession system forced by the Dance with the older Valyrian system (where gender did not matter, like in Dorne).

Circumstances however, would serve to deny her the Iron Throne. Her Uncle Duncan wed a commoner, Jenny of Oldstones, and got thrown out of succession, apparently cementing her position as heir. But nearly all her family burns down in Summerhall (Aegon V, Duncan, her other uncle etc), making her father king. Jaehaerys II had insufficient political capital left to actually change the succession, so it was Aerys who inherited. After her father’s death, Rhaella retreats indoors, so as to avoid undermining Aerys. It was conscious political decision and sacrifice on her part, the Targaryen line was nearly wiped out save her immediate family and she did not want to create further issues. She lets Tywin and Aerys rule, though she was increasingly fearful of the way things are moving. Duskendale tips her hand, as she comes out of her self-enforced exile to govern the realm, as she does not trust her son quite yet to tackle the likes of Tywin Lannister.

Life has made Rhaella a harsh person. Once, she dreamt of knights in shining armor, but had to marry Aerys instead of Bonnifer Hasty because of a prophecy. She watched her uncles marry for love and nearly ruin the realm, and endured her own loveless union with her brother. She made a choice on the first day she learnt she was widowed, by choosing to stay and rule instead of running away with Bonnifer Hasty or trying to find peace with Jon Arryn/Rickard Stark. The closest person to Rhaella is probably canon Cersei but there are crucial differences. Cersei’s weakness is family and power, whereas Rhaella does not have anything similar. Rhaella was taught to choose the Realm over family and happiness long ago, a lesson even more firmly entrenched by Summerhall and seeing her father allow himself to be broken by the Iron Throne. The fate of the Targaryens and that of united realm are too firmly entrenched for her to plan for situations where she has to literally choose the life of her whole family over that of the realm. However, if it is just one of her sons in return for peace, she will do it.

Rhaella also lacks Cersei’s insecurities-she was born to be a Queen and never felt inferior to any woman (Cersei has always people like Lyanna, Elia and even Joanna Lannister to compete with). Rhaella is not willfully malicious, and is capable of compassion. She is just incredibly ruthless in doing what she believes the realm needs. So she dons white gowns, pretends to be the caring mother helping her family while running the whole machinery to ensure that lords stay in line. Castrating Tywin is a big part of it, as she wants to break him down to nothing, for daring to imagine that he could be comparable to the Targaryens (via wedding Cersei to Rhaegar). Her suspicions over his possible role in Aerys’ death (that man was still her brother), and her discovery that the throne was borrowing a bit too much from the Rock further makes her despise Tywin. She cuts the crown’s expenses drastically to repay the debt to the Rock (which Tywin had allowed to build up to get leverage). People may think getting Ser Jaime to join the Kingsguard is Rhaegar’s coup (certainly his wife thinks so) but it was the Queen that engineered it all. Right down from asking Ser Jonothor (Lyanna’s guard) to speak about the glories of the Kingsguard to Jaime while riding to King’s Landing from Riverunn (the Stark-Tully-Lannister combined travel was her idea too) to getting young Ser Arthur and Ser Oswell further bully a Jaime broken by his sister’s wedding. You might even find traces of some drugs in Ser Jaime’s drink to affect his rationale. She had Cersei as a hand-maiden for five years; she knows what Jaime’s weak points are (except the biggest, which everyone misses again). After Jaime takes his vows, and Tywin unable to stop him in fear of shaming his House before all, she gets her plans to near fruition with the Imp in the position to inherit. One little accident to the Imp, made easy by Tywin’s own hatred for the child, and Steffon’s grandchildren inherit the Rock.

Her grandson changes things. Jaehaerys is ultimately her validation, for when the egg hatches, she realizes that perhaps all her life had not been a waste and there is promise to the prophecy after all. She leaves the realm to Steffon and a slightly wiser Rhaegar, while she trains her grandson (she is best placed after the unavailable Maester Aemon and Bloodraven). She knows a dragon is worth far more leverage than moving a few pieces in KL, which her cousin and son could do competently enough. Here she stands now.

 **Lyanna Stark:** People say Arya is Lyanna born again. Certain things in canon suggest Sansa inherited just as much, love for songs etc. Lyanna is a young teenager and has issues, inferiority complexes with older women like Catelyn/Cersei, who have already bloomed. She is very much a daddy’s girl, her mother having died when she was young (Benjen’s birth). However, going south, she begins to get an inferiority complex, especially as she is to be Queen. It was easy to deal with clearly evil people like Hoster, Catelyn, Tywin, Robert etc, but how to deal with kind people like Rhaella? She can stick Tywin with the pointy end, but what do to when the only Mother figure in her life is disappointed, and is still kind? Sansa was manipulated by Cersei despite having a mother and Rhaella has Lyanna eating out of her hand with ease. Rhaella in fact has it easier, for she is naturally kind and doesn’t have to fake it. So she lets Lyanna spar with her son (Rhaegar found out about the whole sparring thing from her who heard from Ashara who heard from Ned) as she doesn’t see anything wrong with it. She does not fear a more beautiful younger Queen to cast her down (contrast canon Cersei) and if granting Lyanna that little freedom makes her even more grateful then why not? Rhaella plain and simply plays on the emotions of Lyanna Stark to keep her malleable. She after all wanted exclusive rights to educate her grandson, dragon or not. Lyanna later wisens up, but still cannot hate Rhaella for the old woman is not doing it for personal profit and is still unflinchingly kind. This is who Lyanna is, at this moment-a teen slowly seeing the other face of the dragon after hypnotically dancing to it.

 **Cersei Lannister:** Not that different from canon, except the name Lannister has become a joke. Likes that Jaime is KG and will never wed, and enjoys some fun in her KL visits. Marriage to Bob a disaster as ever, with both fixated on the King and the Queen. Cersei underestimates Rhaella to be a kind woman who asked the other girls to hush after they made jokes the expense of Tywin, but doesn’t realize how much secret Lannister info she had leaked to the dowager Queen over the years. Children: Joffrey so far, another on the way. In short- a bitter bitch as ever, just with far limited power, having a super-stern goodmother (Casanna)

 **Ashara Dayne:** Loyal to the Queen, and the chief intelligence officer for her within the Keep. Serves her as she respects her independence and firm will. Enjoyed humiliating Cersei when they were just handmaidens together. Marries Ned Stark just because she likes him (and apparently he is not that bad a shag). Is quite fond of Lyanna as well (as a bratty kid sisterish way). A kid on the way.

 **Catelyn Tully:** I pity her here. First her father grumbles about how that wee slip of a Northern girl was chosen to be Queen (in canon, Elia was old enough for Hoster to not really have issues, as Elia could immediately pop babies unlike Cat or Lyanna). She is singularly unimpressed by Lyanna (Sansa+Arya again), and hates it when the Northmen match her up against their daughter. Neither Lord Rickard nor Brandon have any interest in building a Sept for her. Children rather unlikely, considering Brandon Stark’s limited success in that department. Has to deal with two scandalous goodsisters, Ashara and Lyanna. She simply wastes in the North, amidst barbarians, often wishing she wed the second son. However, Lysa (who marries some minor Riverlord in the end, who else wants one who is not a virgin?) has difficulties with having kids, her mother had issues and so no one blames Brandon (including she herself and her father). A lot of self-flagellation followed by devotion to the Seven (up in the North) follows.


End file.
